Leather-stretcher.



F. J. RUPPEL.

LEATHER STBETGHBB.

' APPLICATION FILED BEPT.19, 1908.

909, 1 23. Patented Jan. 5, 1909.v

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK J. RUPPEL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

LEATIHJJR-STRETCHER.

pecification of Letters latent.

latcnted Jan. 6, 1909.

Application filed. September 19, 1908. Serial No. $53,764.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. RUPPEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the county of Baltimore City and State of Maryland, have invented. new and useful Improvements in Leather-Stretchers, of which the. following is a specification.

This invention relates to leather s'tretchers, and has or an object to provide a device of this character which will be eilective in the stretching of leather to be used particularly belting, and to provide means adapted to conform to irregularities ol' the leather at the corners thereof and to construct the. said means whereby the leather may be engaged at the flesh side without destroying the same.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is better disclosed, and it will be understood that changes within the scope of the claims may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings l'orining a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the leather stretcher, Fig. 2 is a top plan view with parts broken away, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1, Fig. i is a perspective view of one of the pivoted plates.

Re'l'errin new more particularly to the drawings, t iere is shown a leather stretcher 1 COI'IIPI'lSlIL a longitudinally (llSPO-SCd bar 2 having. a series of transversely extending rack teeth 3 i'orlned upon its upper face. The

bar is )rovided with a transversely extendin u C) head 4- having a portion disposed above the bar 2, and this head is provided upon the upper surface thereof with a transversely dis posed plate 5 which carries a plurality ol' vertically extendingpins 6. The head has projecting therefrom adjacent to its ends and outwardly of the ends of the plate 5 bolts 7 which loosely receive a transversely disposed clainping element 8. Springs 9 are coiled about the bolt 7 and are adapted to yieldingly support the element 8. Clamping nuts of suitable construction, are engaged with the bolts as shown at 10 and are thus provided for operation to move the element 8 toward the pin 6 upon the plate 5. The springs 9 are such that they serve to move t 1e element 8 away from the pins 6 when the nuts are unscrewed as will be readily understood. Tl'iehead 4 is preferably provided .with a rectangular passage 11 adapted to receive the bar 2 whereby said head. is mounted for sliding movement. The head 4 has projecting therefrom a staple 12 upon which is pivotally mounted a dog 13 having a lower pointed end 14 to engage the teeth 3 upon the bar 2.

The bar 2 has fixedthereto a transversely extending head 1.5, and adjacent to the end and projecting upwardly from the upper surface of the head there are shown bolts 1.6 similar to the bolts 7, and these bolts have loosely mounted thereon a clamping ele ment 17 similar to the element 8 and adjustably held upon the bolts by means of nuts 18. Springs 19 are disposed between the head l5and the element 17 respectively, and are coiled around the bolts 16, and serve to force the element 17 away from the head 15 when the nuts 18 are unscrewed. Plates 20 and 21 respectively, are pivotally inounted by means of screws or the like at their inner ends to the head 15 as shown at 22. The just described plates are adapted to lie normally adjacent to the outer edge of the head 15 as shown in Fig. 2 oi the drawing. The plates 20 and 21 are each provided on their upper faces with a plurality ol' verti cally disposed teeth or spurs 23, and from the under l'acesol' said plates depend a plurality of similar teeth or spurs 23. The teeth 23 and 23 may be ol' any suitable shape, but are preferably of pyramid form as shown.

l/Vhenit is desired to stretch the leather, the head 4 is moved upon the bar 2 toward. the head 15 and leather is inserted between. the respective heads and their clamping elc ments, and by manipulating the nuts -10 and 18 respectively, it is obvious that the elements 8 and 17 will be ellectively brought intocooperation with the heads 4 and 15 to securelyhold the leather, and alter the just described operation it will be under stood that the head i moved away from the head 15 until the proper tension upon the leather is obtained, wl'iereupon, the dog 13 will engage the teeth of the bar 2 to hold the head 4 in proper spaced relation to the head 15. Leather is inserted between the head 17 and the teeth or spurs 23 carried by the plates 21, so that the said teeth or spurs are brought into engagement withthe flesh side of the leather and thereby saves the whole grain and obviates destruction or waste as is apparent and the teeth or spurs 23 are securel engaged with the head 15.

By means of t e plvotal-movement of the plates 21 they may be moved to conform to an irreg-llllllar end of the leather, as shown in 5 dotted es in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

Having thus fully described the inven- -r tion, what is claimed as new, is

1. In a leather stretcher the combination with a stationary head and a movable head, 10 of pivotally mounted toothed plates upon the stationary head. I

2. In a stretoherof the class described, the combination with stretching heads, of pivotally mounted toothed plates mounted 5 adjacent to the edge of one of said heads.

' directs 3. A leather stretcher comprising a stationary stretching head and an adjustable stretching head, a plurality of ivoted plates upon the stationary head, a p urality of upwardl projectin teeth u on the upper faces 20 of sai lates an a plura ity of downwardly teeth upon the underside of sai plates adapted 'to engage portions of the said head.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature- 2; v

in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK J, RUPPEL.

Witnesses:

BERNARD J. LEE,

RAYMJQND G. MORGAN. 

